Martin
1978 Directed by George A. Romero
Synopsis
Martin (John Amplas) sedates women with a syringe full of narcotics and then slices their wrists with a razor blade so he can drink their blood. Martin, who comes to live with his uncle and niece in the dying town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, has romantic monochrome visions of vampiric seductions and torch-lit mobs, but it is impossible to tell how seriously he takes them.
Cast
Genre
Popular reviews
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George A. Romero's strange, disturbing, masterfully edited horror film about an awkward teenage "vampire" (or is he just a mentally-unbalanced serial killer?) is something of an acquired taste but is surely one of the most unique takes on the subgenre ever made.
John Amplas is creepily brilliant as the ambiguous title character, the gritty camerawork and disorienting editing tricks are effectively jarring, the score is deeply atmospheric, and the film casts a genuinely haunting spell. Neat cameo by Romero himself, too, as an EXORCIST-loving priest!
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Major horror blind spot filled tonight. A wholly unique film in Romero's filmmography. As good a film about isolation, fear and confusing adolescence as it is a film about a misunderstood vampire.
[via DVD]
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There is another George A. Romero in cinema. Yes, you heard me right. This Romero is the one who steps out of his zombieland of the Living Dead series and contributes to the genre often-understated gems in character study. One such stray from all things undead and flesh eating is ‘Martin’. It is an overlooked realistic interpretation of the vampire mythology filmed in the summer of 1976 and released right before the director would deliver his epic zombie masterpiece ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978) which forever cemented his reputation as the master of that sub-genre. Not only did George A. Romero single handily reinvent the zombie with ‘Night of the Living Dead’ (1968) making this monster forever iconic in popular…
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La realista y deprimente aproximación de George A. Romero al mito del vampirismo es, sobre todo, una de las películas de terror más ásperas, tristes e interesantes de los años 70.
Antes de que todo se convirtiera en humor negro y artificio (algo a lo que él mismo contribuiría, sin proponérselo, con la posterior 'Zombi'), Romero filmó esta desgarradora historia de un muchacho con hambre de sangre y, más que eso, de amor. Sin dar demasiadas explicaciones, sin dejar demasiado claro si todo es producto de la fantasía de una mente enferma (el protagonista insiste en que "la magia no existe") o de una verdadera maldición familiar, Romero retrata un panorama asfixiante lleno de jóvenes perdidos, de gente sin empleo,…
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This take on the vampire movie reminds me of Altman's genre deconstructions. Stripping away the tired, superflous conventions - putting the traditional dialectic, an alienated outcast dependent on human contact, into the new salient context of the troubles of an angsty youth - Romero also quite brilliantly keeps it ambiguous whether Martin was born a monster or gradually made into one. Killer ending.
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This screening was opened up by George A. Romero giving us a little talk about making "Martin". He instantly reminded us that this is his favourite of all his films, his reasons were basically that the production went so smoothly: he got all the shots he wanted, his crew (14 people total he said) were extremely dedicated, and it was one where he had complete control.
I wish I could say that passion shows on screen, but honestly, it doesn't really. It looks very amateurish and choppy, even more so than "Night" in some spots, although Savini's gore effects are cool and disturbing, as always.
No, the difference between Romero and the billions of other shoestring level gore-gurus is his…
Recent reviews
More-
There is another George A. Romero in cinema. Yes, you heard me right. This Romero is the one who steps out of his zombieland of the Living Dead series and contributes to the genre often-understated gems in character study. One such stray from all things undead and flesh eating is ‘Martin’. It is an overlooked realistic interpretation of the vampire mythology filmed in the summer of 1976 and released right before the director would deliver his epic zombie masterpiece ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978) which forever cemented his reputation as the master of that sub-genre. Not only did George A. Romero single handily reinvent the zombie with ‘Night of the Living Dead’ (1968) making this monster forever iconic in popular…
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An inspiring low budget B-movie horror. The lack of budget creates a disturbing atmosphere. The originality of the story, good use of music and a fantastic performance from the lead, add up to one of Romero's best films.
An inspiring film for all aspirational low budget film-makers! -
Incredibly astute twist on the vampire myth, ditching most of the frilly, campy stuff in favour of a more honest and focused approach. It follows a vampire trapped in a teenager's body, as he combats the superstitions of his uncle and comes to terms with his blood-lust and socially alienating condition. It's very stylish and benefits from a wealth of genre callbacks, with a thematic intelligence that parallels adolescence and infertility (among other things) against the the vampire condition. Eerie and very involving, a few performances are left a little wanting, but other than that this is sterling genre film-making.
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La realista y deprimente aproximación de George A. Romero al mito del vampirismo es, sobre todo, una de las películas de terror más ásperas, tristes e interesantes de los años 70.
Antes de que todo se convirtiera en humor negro y artificio (algo a lo que él mismo contribuiría, sin proponérselo, con la posterior 'Zombi'), Romero filmó esta desgarradora historia de un muchacho con hambre de sangre y, más que eso, de amor. Sin dar demasiadas explicaciones, sin dejar demasiado claro si todo es producto de la fantasía de una mente enferma (el protagonista insiste en que "la magia no existe") o de una verdadera maldición familiar, Romero retrata un panorama asfixiante lleno de jóvenes perdidos, de gente sin empleo,…
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A year before George A. Romero directed his masterpiece, 'Dawn of the Dead' he created this small but important film, about a kid who thinks he’s a vampire (or is he?!). Made in his home town of Pittsburgh, 'Martin' was a low budget return to Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead' roots. Featuring friends and family, with shooting taking place in and around their homes. Here was a filmmaker experimenting with his technique and honing his craft, bringing himself back to basics, before the epic 'Dawn'.
'Martin' starts with a shy but handsome boy (John Amplas) stalking, then murdering a young woman aboard a train. Afterwards he arranges her body, making it appear as though she has committed suicide by…
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George A. Romero's strange, disturbing, masterfully edited horror film about an awkward teenage "vampire" (or is he just a mentally-unbalanced serial killer?) is something of an acquired taste but is surely one of the most unique takes on the subgenre ever made.
John Amplas is creepily brilliant as the ambiguous title character, the gritty camerawork and disorienting editing tricks are effectively jarring, the score is deeply atmospheric, and the film casts a genuinely haunting spell. Neat cameo by Romero himself, too, as an EXORCIST-loving priest!
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I love movies.
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This screening was opened up by George A. Romero giving us a little talk about making "Martin". He instantly reminded us that this is his favourite of all his films, his reasons were basically that the production went so smoothly: he got all the shots he wanted, his crew (14 people total he said) were extremely dedicated, and it was one where he had complete control.
I wish I could say that passion shows on screen, but honestly, it doesn't really. It looks very amateurish and choppy, even more so than "Night" in some spots, although Savini's gore effects are cool and disturbing, as always.
No, the difference between Romero and the billions of other shoestring level gore-gurus is his…
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A great Romero film without zombies.